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Douglas Aircraft Company built the first DC-3 civil transport aeroplane in 1935. Under its military designation of
C-47, the Dakota became the most versatile and widely-used transport aircraft of this century. Its most crucial roles
in World War II included cargo and personnel delivery, glider towing and paratroop drops. Douglas built more than
10,000 "Gooney Birds," as the Dakotas are affectionately known. Even the Soviets manufactured more than 2,000 and the
Japanese 500 under license. As late as 1990 there were 3,500 Dakotas still flying world wide.
In World War II the RCAF had three Dakota squadrons. In 1944, 437 was created in England and served in Northwest Europe;
in that same year, 435 and 436 Squadrons were formed in India for service with the British XIV Army in Burma. Between
1943 and 1989, almost one-half of a century, the RCAF and Canadian Forces (CF) Air Command employed 169 Dakotas.
CWH's Dakota proudly wears the colours of 436 Squadron, whose slogan was "Canucks Unlimited." This aeroplane (C-GDAK)
was built in June 1939 and, in 1990, was the C-47 with the second highest total of airtime of all operational Dakotas
logging over 82,000 hours of air time and 12 million miles. The Museum's Gooney Bird is still being used to deploy
parachutists -- but only at air shows. The Museum obtained its Dakota in 1981.
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